AFC insists on leading pro-democracy alliance

Last Updated on Friday, 23 January 2015, 0:35 by GxMedia

The Alliance For Change (AFC) on Thursday insisted that it must lead a pro-democracy alliance for the May 11 general and regional elections, even as it continues negotiations with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan reiterated that his party’s position is that the alliance is much more than teaming up with APNU but is aimed at including civil society, religious and labour organisations and individuals.

“I have publicly stated that it must be led by the Alliance For Change so if it’s gonna be led by the Alliance For Change that which those persons that you are talking about are insinuating, they wouldn’t have any cause for concern, it’s going to be led by the Alliance For Change,” he said.

AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo specifically said that his party would continue to target disaffected PPPC supporters. “We are talking about those persons who are being marginalized and sidelined in the PPP right as I speak right now because they dare put up challenges for the leadership position and they are asking that the members of their party have a voice in selecting their presidential and prime ministerial candidates,” he said.

The party executives at the news conference were asked whether they believed that their supporters would be daunted by AFC-APNU coalition. The AFC, whose East Indo-Guyanese supporters are believed to be mainly from the incumbent People’s Progressive Party Civic’s (PPPC) base, had previously ruled out teaming up with APNU whose main constituent is the Afro-Guyanese dominated People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR).

The party top brass would only say that the two opposition parties were in negotiations, when repeatedly asked why they were insisting on their demand to lead the alliance if they are in talks.

The AFC and APNU have already inked a non-disclosure agreement and the former has since handed over its pro-democracy alliance proposal to the main opposition grouping.

APNU Chairman, David Granger is already on record as saying that consideration should be given to the numerical strength of his alliance that had been formed to first contest the November 2011 elections.

At the 2011 general and regional elections, APNU received 139,678 votes ( 26 seats in the National Assembly), AFC 35,333 (seven seats) and the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic 166,340 (32 seats).